Possible measles case reported in Utah County

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PAYSON -- Utah County has its first suspected case of measles this year.

Health officials say a total of 10 teachers, up to 15 staff and 22 students at Park View Elementary School in Payson who have not been immunized have been asked to stay home through May 10 because a student may have exposed them to the illness.

Dr. Joseph Miner, director of the Utah County Health Department, told Utah's Morning News, "It (could be) our first measles in many years. It's a very serious disease so we want to control it. So far we've done a pretty good job."

Miner emphasizes the case is not confirmed, only suspected, but the department is not taking any chances.

The school had to call in four substitute teachers to help out.

Parents we spoke to have been keeping an eye on the other Utah cases, and insist they're not worried.

"There are some kids that aren't at school today, but mostly everyone went on with their days as usual," said Beverly Serynek, who has two boys at the school.

Even so, school officials are determined to take the proper precautions.

"We're all about educating students, but we can't educate students if they're not safe," said Nebo School District spokeswoman Lana Hiskey. "We want to make sure we're doing the right thing."

Health officials are a bit skeptical about this particular case. The mother of the child in question claims the child has had two measles vaccinations, but there's no documentation.

The child has a rash that resembles measles and preliminary tests came up positive. But those tests are known for giving some false positives.

There's also been no known contact with anybody that has been infected.

The Centers for Disease Control says 2011 is on track to be a banner year for measles nationwide, with more cases than in the past 10 years.

Outbreaks so far this year have included:

Nine cases in Utah, reported last month. They were linked to someone who apparently was infected in Poland.
In Florida, five cases linked to an international helicopter trade show held in Orlando last month, and another three cases in an outbreak in the Gainesville area traced to a traveler who had been to India.
Twenty-one cases in Minnesota, first reported in February. The illnesses were traced to a Minneapolis-areas child who developed symptoms after returning from a trip to Kenya.
Six cases in Pennsylvania, first reported in January, origin unknown.

Written with contributions from Andrew Adams and The Associated Press.